1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flexible top vehicle or a canvas top vehicle, or a vehicle with a flexible top or with a canvas top, and, more particularly, to a flexible top vehicle in which the flexible top composed of a flexible member is so disposed as to open or cover a roof opening of the roof by folding or extending the flexible top from or to both end portions thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A canvas top vehicle, or a flexible top vehicle, is known which has a roof opening at a central portion of a roof of the vehicle body, which is surrounded by a front header, a rear header, and roof side rails and which has a canvas top or a flexible top, composed of a flexible sheet material, disposed so as to be foldable or windable to thereby open or cover the roof opening of the roof.
Such a canvas top vehicle is designed such that the canvas top or flexible top is generally accommodated in a backward position of the roof. The flexible top disposed at the roof opening of the roof of the vehicle body is arranged such that a rearward end of the flexible top is fixed to the rear header of the roof opening and a forward portion of the flexible top is folded or extended in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, thereby transferring the flexible top rearwards or forwards and opening or closing the roof opening of the roof of the vehicle body. More specifically, the roof opening is fully closed by bringing the front end of the flexible top into abutment with the front header of the roof opening, thereby extending the flexible top to its maximum extent and covering the roof opening thereof to a full closed extent with the flexible top. When the front end of the flexible top is transferred backwards toward the rear header of the roof opening, the forward end portion of the flexible top is folded or wound in order from its front end thereof. When the flexible top has been folded or wound up to a position in the vicinity of the rear header, the roof opening is almost opened.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (kokai) No. 37,531/1986 discloses such a canvas top vehicle as having the construction as generally described hereinabove, which is further designed such that the flexible top in a folded or wound state is extended forwards from its front end to its maximum extended length by manual operation. This technology improves appearance and sealing performance between the roof and the flexible top due to tension applied to the flexible top in a closed state in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Likewise, U.K. Patent Specification No. 1,011,473 discloses technology which involves tilting a front end of the canvas top upwards when the canvas top is opened from the state in which the roof opening is full closed or tilting the front end of the canvas top downwards when the canvas top is fully closed. This technology relates to tilting the front end of the canvas top downwards and forcing the front end thereof to be engaged with a sealing member disposed on the front header of the roof opening, thereby ensuring sealing performance between the front end of the canvas top and the front header thereof. On the other hand, when the front end of the canvas top is tilted upwards from the state in which the canvas top fully closes the roof opening and as a consequence the front end thereof is disengaged from the sealing member, the forward end portion of the canvas top can smoothly be transferred backwards. The technology of tilting the front end of the canvas top upwards or downwards, as disclosed in this U.K. patent specification, is based on manual operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,103,372 discloses another type of a canvas top car, which is so designed as to allow its canvas top to be opened or closed from or to both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. More specifically, both of a forward end portion and a rearward end portion of the canvas top can be opened, thereby opening both the forward portion and the rearward portion of the roof opening of the roof. For the canvas top vehicle of this type, the canvas top in a folded or wound state is disposed in a central position in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. This type of the canvas top vehicle also can provide passengers seated in the back with open feeling over their heads as well as those seated on front seats.
It is to be noted, however, that the canvas top vehicle of the type capable of opening the canvas top from both of the front and rear ends suffers from the disadvantages that, when the length of the canvas top is set, for example, so as to correspond to a distance between the positions in which both forward and rearward ends of the canvas top are fully closed, i.e., to a length between a forward stopper and a rearward stopper for locking the respectively front end and rear end of the canvas top, and when the canvas top is extended in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body to its maximum length so as to fully close the roof opening of the roof, the canvas top may hang loosely because the canvas top may be transformed to a size longer than its original size due to a rise in temperature or for other causes. Such a transformation of the flexible top can impair or spoil appearance and sealing performance.